Conventional aerial firefighting includes the use of multi-engine airplanes or helicopters outfitted with an 800 to 7000 gallon tank containing approximately 6,700 to 58,000 pounds of water or other fire retardant. These airtankers, or waterbombers as they are known, are filled with fire retardant payloads and flown over wildfires where the fire retardant payloads are sprayed from the airtankers onto manually targeted locations below.
Airtankers typically fly at altitudes approximating about 150 feet during an aerial firefighting procedure. Such low firefighting altitudes are required in order to accurately and effectively deliver the fire retardant. Consequently, firefighting missions are flown through thick smoke, shifting winds and rugged terrain that includes tall trees and power lines. These dangers further hinder firefighting efforts by limiting aerial missions to only daylight hours with good visibility. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that enables a firefighting mission at night or in limited visibility to be routine rather than the exception.
Aerial firefighting effectiveness using conventional airtankers is further limited by the fact that the entire payload is released over a single location. If only a portion of the payload is needed at a particular target, or if there are multiple targets requiring immediate attention, a single aircraft cannot adapt by adjusting payload release.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide firefighting methods and fire retardant delivery systems that make aerial firefighting safer and more effective. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.